When the Heavenly Judgment Herrscher dominated the battlefield with overwhelming force, using spatial gates to devour thousands of cannons and a frenzy of pseudo-beasts to overwhelm the iron torrent, it drew all attention and firepower.
Even as Ellen Mathers and Takamiya Mana were forced into a desperate struggle, a white figure, blending into the background like a snowflake, was carrying out an action contrary to her duties.
Tobiichi Origami.
Reflected in her light blue eyes was neither the heart-stopping lightning and spatial distortion in the air, nor the brutal war of attrition on the ground.
Her sensors filtered out the deafening explosions and energy roars, focusing entirely on capturing a weak but vital signal.
— Itsuka Shido's vital signs and possible location information.
(Mission Objective: Ensure Shido's safety. Priority: Highest.)
When Ellen ordered a full-scale assault, and everyone's attention was drawn to the Herrscher demonstrating absolute power, Origami, like the most precise machine, instantly completed her assessment and decision.
Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately severed the deep connection to the DEM Company tactical network, maintaining only minimal basic communication to feign an online status.
(Opportunity. Chaos is the best cover.)
She suppressed the thruster power of her [Mordred] to the absolute minimum, maintaining a hover just a few centimeters above the ground, like a white phantom gliding along the surface.
She skillfully utilized the vibrations and dust clouds created by every large-scale explosion, using burning debris, collapsed walls, and the trenches torn by shockwaves on the ground as moving cover.
There was no wasted movement; every turn and every pause was precisely timed to coincide with the most intense moments of the battlefield's light and sound effects, perfectly avoiding scans that might come from the air or remaining ground units.
(According to the last observation, Shido was located on the southeastern periphery of the factory, attempting to approach the Herrscher... It is estimated his current location should be at the edge of the explosion impact zone, within an area possessing structural cover.)
Her brain functioned like a high-speed computer, combining the topographical map from memory with real-time environmental changes to quickly plot a circuitous but absolutely safe path.
This path bypassed the core combat zone where pseudo-beasts and Bandersnatch debris were piled up, and also stayed far away from any area that might be hit by stray rounds or energy remnants.
The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning, gunpowder, and... an extremely faint, familiar scent belonging to Shido.
Origami's senses seemed heightened to the extreme; like a mother wolf tracking prey, she locked onto that faint trace.
Finally, behind a section of the factory's concrete base that had been collapsed by the shockwave, forming a natural depression, she saw the huddled figure.
Shido was leaning against the cold concrete, his hands tightly covering his ears, his body trembling slightly from the terrifying energy fluctuations coming from afar.
His face was pale, his lips pressed together, yet his gaze was fixed on the unequal battle in the sky, his eyes filled with helplessness and worry.
Fortunately, he did not appear to have sustained any direct physical harm.
The cold anxiety in Origami's heart slightly subsided. She did not reveal herself immediately, but remained like a statue merged with the environment.
She quietly observed for ten seconds from the shadow of a twisted steel frame several meters away, confirming there were no potential threats nearby and that she had not been noticed by anyone.
Only then did she deactivate part of her optical camouflage, allowing her white figure to silently materialize beside Shido as if emerging from the air.
"Shido."
Her voice was still clear, cold, and steady, yet in this corner vaguely surrounded by distant explosions, it brought a strange sense of calm.
Shido jolted, turned his head, and when he saw Origami, his eyes flashed with surprise, relief, and a hint of complexity.
"Classmate Tobiichi? You... what are you doing?"
"It doesn't matter." Origami did not explain the specific reason. Her gaze quickly and meticulously swept over Shido's entire body, confirming his safety.
"This is still a dangerous area. Energy remnants and flying debris are unpredictable. Follow me. I know a safer temporary shelter."
Her tone carried undeniable decisiveness, the coolness belonging to a soldier, along with a barely perceptible persistence reserved only for a specific person.
Shido looked at Origami's calm eyes, then glanced at the despairing display of power in the distant sky.
Knowing that staying here was not only useless but might become a burden, he took a deep breath and nodded:
"Okay... I'm counting on you, Classmate Tobiichi."
Origami said no more, reactivated her optical camouflage, and motioned for Shido to follow her closely.
She chose a more concealed route, moving almost exclusively along the ruins at the very edge of the battlefield. Like two silent shadows, they swiftly and completely moved away from the core battle zone that had turned into a living hell.
From beginning to end, her attention was completely focused on guiding and protecting Shido.
Regarding the battle behind her—one that would determine the fate of DEM Company and potentially influence the world order—she did not look back, nor did she harbor any lingering attachment.
Her war, from start to finish, was never fought there.
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